What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

Tuesday 18th September 2018

I 've seen a few ideas in the Facebook specialized groups that could be adapted to a few of my long-term builds.
I'm not too happy about the Airfix Avro Vulcan jet pipes, so these will be replaced.
I got the Usborne cut out Medieval Castle card kit. Most of the pieces are stuck together with white glue to a cardboard base board. It's more toy like than a scaled model. However the plan is to re-paper and add details from model railway sets.
I think that if I use a flat surface next time the results will be better

[McColm]

Wednesday 19th September 2018

Got home to a bundle of packages. One of which contained a North American A-5A model with a damaged undercarriage. I think I will restore this and maybe change the paint scheme.

[McColm]

Sunday 23rd September 2018

I'm inching ever closer to finishing a few of my long-term builds.
My head is starting to hurt with all the ideas to Whiff the Hasegawa North American RA-5C Vigilante. Going down the bomber route now that I have parts from the Revell Tonka GR1.
Sort of A-5B or North American GR1A Vigilante.
Then there's the  Canadian six engined BAe Nimrod. I think that I can build that using the Airfix kit. It means losing the outer engines. I know that the ground clearance is a problem but if the new engines were mounted above the wings the problem could be solved.
Actually the Speys would be replaced with a pair of poded/pylon mounted engines as the inner cowlings would mask the Spey engines. Hold that thought

[McColm]

I'm not too sure whether this counts as a blog entry or a Eureka moment.
I was playing around with some white PVA glue, (which when watered down is ideal for sticking card or wood) but I have never used it for sticking resin to plastic.
It seems to have worked, the vertical tail fin from the Cammett BAe Nimrod AEW.3 is residing in the tail of the Heller 1/72 Lockheed Constellation fuselage. That's the one with the wings from a C-97 and the Heller cowlings with the Matchbox A-10A turbofan engines. The outer tail fins are at the wingtips and the nose wheel is now the tail wheel. There's a new resin nose radome which came from the Flightpath ERB-47 set which means the cockpit is now above the fuselage under the canopy of the Airfix Avro Vulcan.
The new vertical tail fin was a rotodome from the Grumman Hawkeye.
It was based on a sketch of a tailless twin bomber but never got passed the drawing board.
It will look very impressive when it's completed.

[NARSES2]

White glue will work, indeed I've used it quite often when test fitting parts, but as for a permanent bond ? I won't say never, but the first knock and the joint will sheer. It will not give you a permanent bond.

Resin to polystyrene needs to be "super glue" (Poundstore's is fine and at 3 bottles per £  ) or two part epoxy, especially on bonds that will need some "sheer" strength. Other types may be useful but I'm not aware of them.

[McColm]

Thursday 27th September 2018

I saw an article on converting a Avro Lancaster into a Search and Rescue version with a lifeboat attached to the bomb bay.
The idea came to me to do the same on a Avro Shackleton MR.2 but I couldn't at the time find anything suitable.
There's a1/72 Boeing SB-17G kit made by Academy and a resin set in 1/48.
I stumbled on the vacform lifeboat on eBay which might solve the problem. It's the Dave Cass vacform dropped life boat for the Hudson or Warwick bomber.

[McColm]

Sunday 30th September 2018

My mind is in two places with the 1/72 Monogram Convair B-36 Peacemaker. I did try and move the propeller shaft to the front leading edge. This worked on 4 out of the eight engines. I even went to the extreme of removing the two outer engines and slotting in the resin turbojets from the Martin SeaMaster.
The XB-35 Flying wing was another option but the SeaMaster engines when loosely placed on the upper fuselage makes for an early Northrop B-2 Stealth Bomber.
However I saved the wings from the Italeri B-52G and they seem to fit, okay there are gaps and it's not a true B-60.
The heavily modified vacform cockpit of the Martin SeaMaster does fit the front of the B-36.
As for the super-sized guppy, well it might be possible, I'll have to buy another kit on another day to find out. Probably in 1/144 scale.
I'm pleased about the Revell Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic as I know that the turbofan engines do fit, so does the resin AN/APS-20 radome.
The demilitarized Airfix BAe Nimrod is another project that I'm keen to build.
I had an idea to turn the 1/24 Mercedes Benz SLR into a Batmobile. A change of badges and a bat wing on the roof.

[McColm]

Wednesday 3rd October 2018

I've been reading the review of the new Airfix 1/72 Victor K.2 tanker build in the October issue of Airfix Model World. I'm interested in the SR.2 photo-reconnaissance variant. Along with this issue is the Pocketbond 2018/19 model kit catalogue.
I might be wrong but I did see the photo-reconnaissance pack sold separately on eBay. It might be possible for Freightdog to sell something similar in resin for the Matchbox/Revell kits.
Now if only Airfix could update the Avro Vulcan along the same lines and reissue the Valiant.
Had another idea for the Monogram B-36 Peacemaker , a tanker version KB-36P.

[McColm]

Thursday 4th October 2018

You know when you have an idea in your head and the parts are available in the stash, there's the urge to whiff
This happened to me this morning, there's a drawing in 'The Air Staff and AEW' page 26 which depicts the Breguet Atlantique with a pair of Rolls-Royce Spey 512 turbofans
I had previously whiffed the 1/72 Mach2  Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic with a pair of 1/48 TF33s. This was to be a AEW platform with the Grumman Hawkeye spin top but I lost the glazing to the cockpit canopy.
With my second kit of the same model I have lengthened the rear fuselage and plan to lengthen the forward section. This will be returning to the MPA variant. Instead of two turbofan engines it will have 4, as the Revell 1/144 Airbus A380 engines are almost the same size. I have found a pair of ESM pods from the Airfix Nimrod and attached them to the wingtips. The vertical tail fin is glued in place as well.
A raid in the spares bin should yield a radome and FLIR turret.
I'll call this build the BAe Atlantica MR.1.
I'll see if a in-flight refueling probe can be fitted but won't glue it. I know that I have seen a metal probe in the stash for a C-130.

[Tophe]

Wow! What a project!

[McColm]

Wow! What a project!

Thanks Tophe

[McColm]

Friday 5th October 2018

If you are contemplating on fitting the 1/72 AMT Northrop X/YB-35 Flying to the Monogram Convair B-36H/RB-36H . It does fit.
Rather than cut up the Flying Wing so that it fits over the wing box section of the Peacemaker, I slotted the X/YB-35 in the gap and saved the pieces. As I will probably use them to fill any gaps.
You'll have four for turning and four for burning, but I'm working on just using the jet pods from the B-36.
It's got a new nose, as the front portion of the Airfix BAe Nimrod just slots in the gap.
With the new wings glued on, the build is more manageable. The B-36 had a wing span of 230 feet compared with the 172 feet of the B-35. The right wing fits perfectly whilst the left-hand side has issues even though I glued the lower half on first, I might be able to combine the undercarriage landing gear for better ground clearance once the wings are dry.
I wish that hadn't destroyed one of the B-36 wings on a whim, oh well the largest seaplane will have to wait until I get another kit.

[McColm]

Saturday 6th October 2018

Just had another idea for the Monogram Peacemaker, what if you blanked out/off the piston engines along the leading edge of the wings?
I know that they do sell the resin 1/72 CFM engine sets , not too sure if you can get the engines from the B-52 separately or buy a secondhand kit and use the tail parts as well. It wouldn't be a XB-60 probably a B-36K or B-36L.
The camera pack from the Airfix 1/72 Valiant extras would definitely fit in the bomb bay. The other parts would be useful as the in-flight refueling tanker.
I have managed to find another Monogram 1/72 B/RB-36H from a model shop at a reasonable price.
I wonder if you cut down the fuselage width of the Airfix/Revell/Novo Avro Shackleton, you'd get something similar to the width of the Lancaster. It wouldn't be a Shackleton but more of the Lincoln Mk7. As you would need to use the bomb bay doors from a Lancaster kit and remove the right hand seat in the cockpit. The front observation dome would also be removed.

[Tophe]

I have managed to find another Monogram 1/72 B/RB-36H from a model shop at a reasonable price.

If you have two B-36 kits, would you consider a Zwilling version?

[McColm]

I have managed to find another Monogram 1/72 B/RB-36H from a model shop at a reasonable price.

If you have two B-36 kits, would you consider a Zwilling version?

I've already added the Northrop Flying Wing to the current B-36. That is a good idea.